Night had fallen and the three of us stood in the depths of the forest, the castle glooming before us. The air was filled with excitable chatter and glamorous arrivals blessed the eyes of everyone around. Standing sneakily behind a tree, I watched people arrive in carriages and other modes of transportation I had never seen before. My hand was placed against the tree bark, helping me to peer over with a smile tainted across my face.

It looked so fun, so beautiful to be amongst the crowd, but when Pan appeared beside me, reality snapped back.

"Killian's gone to get us some gowns," he said quietly, almost with sorrow as his gaze lingered on mine.

"You'd think he would have gotten them by – oh..." I cut myself off, realizing Killian was going to knock out someone and take their outfits. I rolled back my lips, unable to stop myself from saying the next few words.

"This isn't right."

"We have no choice."

"Yes, we do," I said, turning to face him now and leaning my back against the tree, arms folded against my chest. I saw sadness in his eyes and I seemed to be the only one who could ever see that, who could see the beauty in his brokenness. I forced a smile, placing my hands on his shoulders and took a step forward, closing the gap between us. "But I understand."

He returned the smile and took hold of my chin, gently tilting my head towards as he placed a kiss against my forehead.

Our moment was over when Killian arrived. He had already changed into a suit and held Pan and I's attire in his arms: Pan's matched his mask (black and green) and my gown matched my mask as well (white and black). I got changed behind the same tree from before (it wasn't like Pan hadn't seen me naked: I didn't want the pirate to) and when I emerged, I was overcome with Pan's handsomeness, standing there in a suit and mask. I could feel the heat in my cheeks when he mumbled a soft "wow", walking over to me. Holding out his arm, I smiled and looped my arm through his; Killian rolled his eyes.

"We're here to kill Rumple. Don't get too carried away in a fairytale, Serena," he grumbled and I pursed my lips. I was about to snap back but Pan stopped me.

"Ignore him," he simply said, the two of us beginning to walk. "You may be a queen on Neverland, but you're a princess tonight."

"So I've been demoted," I giggled, but I knew what he meant. He grinned, playfully rolling his eyes.

Entering slyly from the side, the three of us slipped into the castle's entrance and headed inside. I was overwhelmed by the candles, the chandeliers, the decorations, things I had never seen – well, remembered. My mouth gaped open, looking around in awe as my arm tightly kept itself wrapped around Pan's. We weaved ourselves through the hall and found ourselves in the main ballroom. People weren't dancing – at least, not yet – and stood around talking, drinking and laughing. Gulping, I clenched my jaw: Rumple was here somewhere.

"Stay here," Killian said, with Pan ignoring him and thanking a waiter, sipping a glass of – whatever beverage it was. Wine, nectar? I couldn't tell and I wondered how I even knew those names. Keeping to the side, we watched the ballroom slowly fill with people, an orchestra setting itself up opposite us. Softly in my ear, Pan said, "the ball's about to start," and I couldn't help but feel ecstasy.

And just as he had said, the orchestra began to play and, who I guess to be the princess and prince, started to dance.

It was hauntingly beautiful: a tune I didn't expect. I moved with the steady beat, smiling as I watched the couple. Slowly, one by one, couples joined in. In the corner of my eye, I saw Pan place his glass down and move in front of me. Holding out his hand and bowing, I rolled back my lips and grinned cheekily.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, his eyebrow snapping upwards. Lifting my chin, I put my hand in his.

"Of course, Peter Pan." And so, we joined the dance just as the choir started. Placing my hand on his shoulder and the other in his hand, we moved and followed the moves of the people around us, people I couldn't recognize through masks. According to Killian's plan, we would only have a couple of minutes to dance and when I realized that, my mood suddenly dropped.

"Serena?" Pan asked, questioning the change. The two of us swiftly moved about, our bodies practically pressed against one another; I wondered how I knew the moves to smoothly.

"Do we have to do this?" I said in a hushed tone, looking over my shoulder just in case. Pan sighed with agitation and I knew I'd just ruined the mood. "It isn't right."

"And if there was another alternative, I'd take it."

"Then take it," I snapped, keeping my voice low. "For goodness sakes. You're Peter Pan, surely you can find a loophole and get the boy rather than killing your son."

He didn't respond and we kept dancing, the sound of the orchestra looming in my ears. Leaning forward, my lips lingered against his ears just like the music notes. "But know this. No matter what happens tonight, I'll still love you."

Pan chuckled in my ear, placing a soft kiss against my cheek as we continued to dance.

"We're not killing Rumple. We were never going to," he said and my eyes widened. If I could have stopped dancing, I would have, but it didn't help that we were in the center. Continuing the dance, I waited for an explanation. Smirking, he said, "I just needed Killian off the island while the boys raided his ship."

"Wait – so...what's Killian doing now?"

"Looking for someone who isn't here. I sent Rumple an anonymous message while he was retrieving the outfits."

Pan truly was always one step ahead.

"And what of Killian?"

Grinning, Pan lustfully stared into my eyes.

"By the time he's back, we'll be gone and he'll have nothing but a jar of pixie dust that I borrowed from a certain pixie."

"And when he's back on the island, he'll be pissed off."

"Oh, and why does that matter?"

I smirked right back at him.

"I guess it doesn't," and with that, he held my back and lowered me down in rhythm with the dance. Perfectly, he placed is lips to mine and I closed my eyes, always lingering for the sensation of his mouth against my own. We continued to dance to the music and I forced myself to let go, to focus on the moment. Here I was, in a ball and in a beautiful gown, dancing with Peter Pan. I couldn't wipe the smile from my face and neither could I pull my eyes away from his. The green on his mask and suit matched his eyes perfectly and almost made me fall head over heels. Strangers danced beside us, their faces hidden by masks. But I didn't care who they were or why this ball was even happening. Just like Killian had 'warned' me, I had fallen into the perfect abyss of a fairytale.

All of a sudden, Pan stopped dancing and took my hand, whispering, "let's go."

Like love-sick teenagers, we ran through the ball and burst through the castle's doors. As we disappeared into the forest, the sound of the orchestra, the sound of the laughter and joy faded. I paused, looking up into the sky to see two twinkling stars.

"The second star to the right," I said quietly, Pan slipping his hands into mine.

"And straight on till morning," he finished, causing me to smile as I watched the stars flicker in the darkness.

And in a blink of my eye, we were on the shore of Neverland.